Manu makes return official

Spurs’ Manu Ginobili warms up for Game 2 of the Western Conference final against the Golden State Warriors, in Oakland, Calif., on May 16, 2017.

Spurs’ Manu Ginobili warms up for Game 2 of the Western Conference final against the Golden State Warriors, in Oakland, Calif., on May 16, 2017.

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez /Associated Press

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez /Associated Press

Image
1of/15

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 15

Spurs’ Manu Ginobili warms up for Game 2 of the Western Conference final against the Golden State Warriors, in Oakland, Calif., on May 16, 2017.

Spurs’ Manu Ginobili warms up for Game 2 of the Western Conference final against the Golden State Warriors, in Oakland, Calif., on May 16, 2017.

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez /Associated Press

Manu makes return official

1 / 15

Back to Gallery

Manu Ginobili is back. Officially.

Ginobili formally signed a new contract with the Spurs on Thursday, ensuring his return for a 16th NBA season. The 40-year-old Argentine dynamo re-signed a two-year deal worth about $5 million, according to league sources.

The team’s announcement came as no surprise.

The venerable Spur, a four-time NBA champion, signaled his intention to return in a column he wrote for Argentina’s La Nacion newspaper last month. Having spent most of the summer traveling overseas, Ginobili got around to autographing his new deal Thursday.

The fifth-leading scorer in Spurs history, Ginobili averaged 7.5 points and shot 39 percent last season, career lows. Yet he remains vital to the Spurs both on the court as a leader of the team’s second unit, as well as in the locker room, where he — along with longtime teammate Tony Parker — provide the bulk of the club’s famed “corporate knowledge.”